A check valve of the afore-described type is disclosed, for example, by German published patent application 31 47 708. The connections of the prior known check valve are disposed in a direction vertical relative to one another, with the valve body thereof being formed by a resilient, circular plate disposed within a spring retainer guided in the housing in the direction of actuation of the valve and serving to support a compression spring preloading it in the closing direction of the valve.
Such conventional check valves have a disadvantage in that substantial flow losses occur, caused both by the deflection of the flow and by the shape of the valve body. Also disadvantageous is the relatively short guiding length of the valve body and of the spring retainer, respectively, which creates a risk of sticking during operation.